06.11.2026 19:10
It has emerged that when the combine harvester that Arif Sefa Özdemir, who killed 8 people in Afyonkarahisar, cited as the reason for the massacre burned, villagers in İzmir collected approximately 50 thousand lira in aid for him. It was learned that the suspect, who was also supported by local tradesmen, called the village headman who had helped him one day before the murders and asked for his forgiveness.
The chilling murders in Afyonkarahisar were revealed to have begun with a combine harvester dispute. Murder suspect Arif Sefa Özdemir, in his statement to the Gendarmerie, recounted that last year he bought a combine harvester from a person named Ahmet Uzel for 40,000 euros and began working with this combine harvester around Manisa and İzmir. However, he stated that the combine harvester became unusable in a fire that broke out while it was working in the field, and that after this incident a dispute arose between him and Uzel. According to Özdemir's statement, Uzel met with him last week and demanded the 11,000 euros he was owed from the combine harvester. Özdemir, however, said that his debt was 4,000 euros and that he would pay within a short time. It was alleged that the dispute between the parties over the amount of the debt grew and that mutual insults and threats took place over the phone.
HE KILLED 3 PEOPLE AT THE EXIT OF AYAZINI VILLAGE
According to the allegation, on the day of the incident Özdemir invited Ahmet Uzel to Afyonkarahisar to make a payment. Uzel came to the city taking Bekir and Noman Toprak with him. The parties met at the exit of Ayazini village. After an argument broke out there, Özdemir opened fire with a pump-action shotgun he had brought with him and killed three people. It was alleged that Özdemir, who later fled the scene, targeted other people he encountered along his route in order to seize their vehicles.
THE COMBINE HARVESTER WAS FOUND IN MENDERES DISTRICT OF İZMİR
The combine harvester cited as the reason for the attack was found to be in Tekeli Atatürk Neighborhood of Menderes district. Tekeli Atatürk Neighborhood Mukhtar Osman Kavlagan, recounting that before the incident suspect Arif Sefa Özdemir had called him, said, “Arif Sefa Özdemir called me on Wednesday at 18:42. We talked for 9 minutes. He said, ‘My mukhtar, is there anything bothering you? Is there any trouble, anything concerning me?’ I said, ‘No, my health is good.’ He said, ‘Brother, you have done a lot for me; forgive me for your rights.’ I said, ‘The tarpaulin on this machine has torn; come and let’s fix these.’ He said, ‘No, brother, I am not in a position to come right now,’ and said, ‘Forgive me for your rights again.’ I said, ‘What rights of mine would you have over me? May it be forgiven.’ I had bought him tires,” he said.
VILLAGERS COLLECTED 50,000 TL IN AID FOR ÖZDEMİR, WHOSE COMBINE HARVESTER BURNED
Kavlagan, who said he learned of the incident while watching the news, said, “He was saved in my contacts as ‘Harvester Arif.’ Because I had bought tires, I looked at the invoice. It said Arif Sefa Özdemir; that is how I understood. When I heard his name on the night news, I said, ‘Oh no, this is our harvester operator.’ He used alcohol constantly. We brought the combine harvester from the plain with a tractor,” he said.
Kavlagan, saying that villagers had collected aid for Arif Sefa Özdemir's burned combine harvester, used the statements, “We collected close to 50,000 lira for him. Tradesmen, the tire dealer, oil dealer, parts dealer and diesel dealer helped. We helped too. Then he left here; he said, ‘I bought a joint combine harvester again,’ and said, ‘I got hit by that one too.’ I said, ‘Take a little care of yourself; don’t get involved in everything like this.’ He said, ‘Brother, there is nothing to do.’ There was a 9-minute conversation between us.”
“I REGRET THAT I HELPED”
Ahmet Gök, the owner of the field where the combine harvester burned, emphasized, “We started harvesting at harvest time. I was in the village too. My son called me and said, ‘Dad, the harvester is on fire.’ I came here, but by the time I arrived, both the combine harvester and the field had burned. I learned of the incident today. I later regretted that I helped. We collected money in the village for Arif Seza Özdemir. He apparently had a combine harvester debt. Both our field and our crop burned. We did not file a complaint.”